“Imagine for a moment that you are an immigrant to the United States. You hope to make this new country your home, and yet, many of the customs and culture confuse you,” blogs Michelle Burgess of the National League of Cities’ Municipal Action for Immigrant Integration (MAII). You just relocated your family to a new and unfamiliar country. You may or may not speak much of the language or know the customs. You want to integrate into your new community and familiarize yourself with your new city’s programs and services. But how will you access the information and resources you need?
According to a new “best practices” report by Burgess and Ricardo Gambetta of the MAII, “Immigrant Integration: Resource Access and Cultural Exchange,” there are a lot of things community outreach programs can do to help immigrants access important city information, find basic things like health care, jobs, and education, and better engage in community life. The report profiles a number of outreach programs across the country that are helping immigrants to better “connect” with their new communities.
Jennifer Eberbach is a professional journalist and writer. Find contact information on her website www.jenthewriter.info
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